By Our Reporters
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP) have all taken issue with President Bola Tinubuโs Democracy Day speech and his administrationโs governance style.
Their criticisms followed Tinubuโs address during a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja on Thursday, where he honoured June 12 heroes both living and deceased, with the conferment of national honours, as well as activists who sacrificed their lives in the fight for justice.
In his Democracy Day statement, Atiku accused the President of prioritising โconquest over governanceโ, warning that Nigeriaโs democracy is under threat from โcreeping authoritarianism, elite cronyism, and institutional subversionโ under the current government.
Peter Obi, for his part, argued that democracy has been โin recessionโ since Tinubu assumed office two years ago. The Labour Partyโs 2023 presidential candidate urged the President to recognise that โgoverning by remote control is not what Nigerians needโ, stressing that much has gone wrong under his watch.
The PDP went further, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is deliberately โorchestrating crises within opposition partiesโ, likening the situation to the biblical tale of โthe hand of Esau but the voice of Jacobโ.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party expressed dismay over Nigeriaโs democratic decline, stating that the countryโs current political practices โfall far short of true democracyโ.
Reflecting on the sacrifices of the June 12 struggle, including his own decision to step aside for the late MKO Abiola, Atiku lamented that the ideals for which many, including Kudirat Abiola, Shehu Musa YarโAdua, and Alfred Rewane, gave their lives, are now being undermined.
โThis government represents the lowest ebb in our democratic journey. Institutions have been weaponized.
โPolicies are crafted not to empower the people but to entrench fear, obedience, and control. The common Nigerian has been abandoned at the altar of elite comfort.
โAnd make no mistake: this is the antithesis of everything June 12 stands for.
โAs long as oppression thrives, June 12 lives on, not just as memory, but as movement,โ he concluded”, Atiku said.
On his part, former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, criticised the President over his international trips, noting such efforts would have been dedicated domestic trips.
His words: โMr. President you have already made over 30 international trips, spending nearly 150 days abroad.
โIf you tour Nigeriaโs 36 states and dedicate just two days to tour each state, it would take only 72 days for you to do so, less than half the time you have already spent in other areas of the country on foreign trips.
โYou need to go around the country to see. We must end this troubling governance era that is filled with impunity, state capture, and absolute disregard for the rule of law and the checks and balances required of any worthwhile democracy.
โIt is most troubling that in its two years in office, the present government has brought the nation to the point where our leaders now celebrate and endorse failure, lies, and propaganda.
โThe government today, rather than show genuine accountability and measurable progress, focuses on manipulating narratives, gaslighting the public, shifting blame and weaponizing governance.
Factional Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Usman, called for true democarcy.
She made the call in an address delivered at the New Nigeria Youth Summit 2025, themed: โAttracting Diaspora Investment, Pulling Nigeria Out of Poverty, and Transforming into a Global Economic Powerโ.
Reflecting on the significance of June 12, Usman said it was imperative to honour the sacrifices of Nigeriaโs pro-democracy heroes and heroines who, 32 years ago, defied tyranny and dreamed of a nation where the people would truly hold sovereign power.
โWe remember Chief MKO Abiola, whose bloodโlike that of many othersโwatered the fragile seed of our democracy,โ she said. โBut as we gather here in Abuja to engage on the future of Nigeria, we must ask with honest hearts: Is this the democracy they died for?โ
According to her, Nigeriaโs democracy has become increasingly hollow.
โThe bitter truth remains that our democracy often mocks its own name,โ she lamented.
โWe have made progress in some areas, but the heart of democracy โ free, fair, and credible elections; the rule of law; and accountable governance โ continues to suffer under the weight of manipulation, impunity, and elite capture.โ




































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